The Wi-Fi Alliance introduced Hotspot 2.0 as an approach to public access Wi-Fi. Passpoint, which is based on the HotSpot 2.0 specification, is the brand for a certification program. In particular, devices such as wireless routers that pass certification testing based on Hotspot 2.0 can be referred to as “Passpoint devices.” With the Hotspot 2.0/Passpoint approach, a mobile device such as a mobile telephone, a pad computer, or a laptop computer can automatically join a Wi-Fi subscriber service whenever the mobile device enters a Hotspot 2.0 area that is configured to support the Wi-Fi subscriber service. Wi-Fi subscriber services may provide mobile devices with enhanced communication abilities such as better bandwidth or services-on-demand and may reduce demands on mobile carrier infrastructure, for example, if the mobile device can communicate through the hotspot, instead of the infrastructure of the mobile carrier.
Hotspot 2.0 is based on the IEEE 802.11u Wi-Fi standard, which is a set of protocols to enable cellular-like roaming for Wi-Fi devices. (More specifically, a relevant standard is entitled “IEEE Std 802.11u™-2011-IEEE Standard for Information Technology-Telecommunications and information exchange between systems-Local and Metropolitan networks-specific requirements-Part II: Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) specifications: Amendment 9: Interworking with External Networks” but is more simply referred to as IEEE Std 802.11u™-2011.) If a mobile device supports 802.11u™-2011 and is subscribed to a Wi-Fi subscriber service available at Hotspot 2.0 locations, the mobile device may be able to roam between Wi-Fi access points and automatically connect to the Wi-Fi subscriber service through the access points.
Key technologies, used in the HotSpot 2.0 and Passpoint, are further described in IEEE Std 802.11u™-2011 and Wi-Fi Alliance Passpoint standard specifications, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.